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    "title": "Getting Started with Babysitter",
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    "article": "\n# Getting Started with Babysitter\n\n**Welcome to Babysitter!** This guide will help you go from zero to running your first AI-orchestrated development workflow in just a few minutes.\n\n---\n\n## 30-Second Overview\n\n**Babysitter = Claude Code + autopilot + quality control**\n\nInstead of:\n```\nYou: \"Build me a login page\"\nClaude: *builds something*\nYou: \"Make it better\"\nClaude: *tweaks it*\nYou: \"Run the tests\"\nClaude: *tests fail*\nYou: \"Fix the tests\"\n... (repeat for hours)\n```\n\nYou just say:\n```\n/babysitter:call build a login page with 90% quality target\n```\n\nBabysitter handles the iteration, testing, and quality checks automatically. Come back later, it's still working (or waiting for your approval).\n\n---\n\n## Choose Your Path\n\n| If you are... | Start here |\n|--------------|------------|\n| **Impatient** (just want to try it) | [Quickstart](./quickstart.md) - 10 minutes to first run |\n| **Thorough** (want to understand first) | Keep reading this page, then [Installation](./installation.md) |\n| **Already installed** | [First Run Deep Dive](./first-run.md) to understand what happened |\n| **Coming back** | Jump to the [Tutorials](../tutorials/) for deeper projects |\n\n---\n\n## What is Babysitter?\n\nBabysitter is an **orchestration framework** for Claude Code that transforms how you work with AI-assisted development. Instead of manually iterating with Claude until your code is \"good enough,\" Babysitter automates the entire process with:\n\n- **Automatic quality convergence** - Set a quality target (like 85%), and Babysitter iterates until it's achieved\n- **Session persistence** - Close your laptop, come back tomorrow, and pick up exactly where you left off\n- **Human-in-the-loop approval** - Add approval gates (breakpoints) for critical decisions before they execute\n- **Complete audit trails** - Every decision, iteration, and change is recorded in an event journal\n\nThink of Babysitter as a project manager for your AI coding sessions - it keeps track of progress, ensures quality standards are met, and never loses context.\n\n### Why You Will Love Babysitter\n\n| Without Babysitter | With Babysitter |\n|-------------------|-----------------|\n| \"Claude, can you improve that?\" (repeat 10x) | Set quality target once, iterate automatically |\n| Lose all context when session ends | Resume from any point, even days later |\n| Hope the AI made good decisions | Review and approve at key decision points |\n| No record of what happened | Complete journal of every action |\n| Run tasks one at a time | Parallel execution for faster results |\n\n---\n\n## Key Benefits\n\n### 1. Quality Convergence\nStop manually asking Claude to \"make it better.\" Define your quality target (test coverage, code standards, etc.) and Babysitter iterates until it's achieved.\n\n```\n# Example: Iterate until 85% quality score\nclaude \"/babysitter:call implement user auth with TDD, 85% quality target\"\n```\n\n### 2. Never Lose Progress\nEvery action is recorded in an event-sourced journal. Session interrupted? No problem.\n\n```\n# Resume exactly where you left off\nclaude \"Resume the babysitter run for the auth feature\"\n```\n\n### 3. Human-in-the-Loop Control\nAdd approval gates for critical decisions. Review context, approve or reject, and only then does execution continue.\n\n```\n# Babysitter will pause for approval before deploying\nclaude \"/babysitter:call deploy to production with breakpoint approval\"\n```\n\n### 4. Structured Workflows\nChoose from built-in methodologies (TDD, Spec-Kit, GSD) or create your own. Consistent, repeatable processes across your team.\n\n---\n\n## Quick Navigation\n\n| I want to... | Go to... |\n|-------------|----------|\n| Install Babysitter | [Installation Guide](./installation.md) |\n| Run my first workflow (5 min) | [Quickstart](./quickstart.md) |\n| Understand what happened | [First Run Deep Dive](./first-run.md) |\n| See all commands | [CLI Reference](../reference/cli-reference.md) |\n| Learn about Quality Convergence | [Quality Convergence Guide](../features/quality-convergence.md) |\n\n---\n\n## Prerequisites\n\nBefore you begin, ensure you have the following:\n\n### Required Software\n\n| Software | Version | How to Check | Installation Guide |\n|----------|---------|--------------|-------------------|\n| **Node.js** | 20.0.0+ (22.x recommended) | `node --version` | [nodejs.org](https://nodejs.org/) |\n| **npm** | 8.0.0+ | `npm --version` | Comes with Node.js |\n| **Claude Code** | Latest | `claude --version` | [Claude Code Docs](https://docs.anthropic.com/en/docs/claude-code) |\n\n### Recommended (for best experience)\n\n| Software | Purpose | Installation |\n|----------|---------|--------------|\n| **nvm** | Manage Node.js versions easily | [nvm-sh/nvm](https://github.com/nvm-sh/nvm) |\n| **Git** | Version control for your projects | [git-scm.com](https://git-scm.com/) |\n| **jq** | Parse JSON output from CLI | `brew install jq` (macOS) |\n\n### Knowledge Prerequisites\n\n| Level | What You Should Know |\n|-------|---------------------|\n| **Required** | Basic command line usage (cd, ls, npm) |\n| **Required** | How to use Claude Code (basic prompting) |\n| **Helpful** | JavaScript/TypeScript basics (for custom processes) |\n| **Optional** | Test-driven development concepts |\n\n### Verify Your Environment\n\nRun these commands to confirm you're ready:\n\n```bash\n# Check Node.js (need 20.0.0+)\nnode --version\n# Expected: v20.x.x or v22.x.x\n\n# Check npm\nnpm --version\n# Expected: 8.x.x or higher\n\n# Check Claude Code\nclaude --version\n# Expected: Claude Code version info\n```\n\nIf any command fails, install the missing software before continuing.\n\n---\n\n## Installation Overview\n\nGetting Babysitter running involves three steps:\n\n1. **Install the Babysitter plugin** (via Claude Code's plugin system)\n2. **Install the CLI packages** (npm global install for orchestration commands)\n**Estimated time:** 5-10 minutes\n\nReady? Head to the [Installation Guide](./installation.md) for step-by-step instructions.\n\n---\n\n## Your Learning Path\n\n### Day 1: Get Started (Today!)\n\n1. [x] Read this introduction (you are here)\n2. [ ] [Install Babysitter](./installation.md) (5 min)\n3. [ ] [Complete the Quickstart](./quickstart.md) (10 min)\n4. [ ] [Understand your first run](./first-run.md) (10 min)\n\n### Week 1: Build Confidence\n\n5. [ ] Try different quality targets (80%, 90%, 95%)\n6. [ ] Experience session resumption (close and resume a run)\n7. [ ] Use breakpoints for approval workflows\n8. [ ] Explore the [TDD methodology](../features/quality-convergence.md)\n\n### Week 2+: Level Up\n\n9. [ ] Compare methodologies (TDD, GSD, Spec-Kit)\n10. [ ] Customize quality targets and iteration limits\n11. [ ] Learn about parallel execution\n12. [ ] Create your first custom process (advanced)\n\n---\n\n## How Babysitter Works (The Big Picture)\n\n```\nYou: \"Build a todo API with TDD\"\n         |\n         v\n+------------------+\n|  Babysitter      |\n|  Orchestration   |\n|                  |\n|  1. Research     |---> Analyze codebase\n|  2. Plan         |---> Create specifications\n|  3. Implement    |---> TDD iterations\n|  4. Quality      |---> Score and improve\n|  5. Approve      |---> Human checkpoint\n|  6. Complete     |---> Deliver result\n+------------------+\n         |\n         v\nEverything logged to .a5c/runs/<runId>/journal/\n```\n\n### The Magic: Event-Sourced Persistence\n\nEvery action Babysitter takes is recorded as an event in a journal:\n\n```jsonl\n{\"type\":\"RUN_STARTED\",\"runId\":\"01KFFTSF8TK8C9GT3YM9QYQ6WG\",\"timestamp\":\"2026-01-25T10:30:00Z\"}\n{\"type\":\"TASK_STARTED\",\"taskId\":\"research-001\",\"timestamp\":\"2026-01-25T10:30:01Z\"}\n{\"type\":\"TASK_COMPLETED\",\"taskId\":\"research-001\",\"result\":{...},\"timestamp\":\"2026-01-25T10:30:45Z\"}\n```\n\nThis means:\n- **Crash recovery:** Replay the journal to restore exact state\n- **Audit trail:** Complete history of every decision\n- **Debugging:** Trace exactly what happened and when\n\n---\n\n## What You Will Build\n\nIn this getting started guide, you will:\n\n### Quickstart Tutorial (10 minutes)\nBuild a simple calculator module with TDD:\n- Write tests first\n- Implement code to pass tests\n- Achieve 80% quality score\n- See automatic iteration in action\n\n### Expected Outcome\n```\ncalculator/\n  calculator.js      # Implementation\n  calculator.test.js # Test suite\n  README.md         # Generated documentation\n\nQuality Score: 85/100\nTests: 12 passing\nCoverage: 92%\n```\n\n---\n\n## Getting Help\n\n### Stuck? Try These Resources\n\n| Resource | Best For |\n|----------|----------|\n| [Troubleshooting Guide](./installation.md#troubleshooting) | Installation issues |\n| [FAQ](../reference/faq.md) | Common questions |\n| [GitHub Issues](https://github.com/a5c-ai/babysitter/issues) | Bug reports |\n| [GitHub Discussions](https://github.com/a5c-ai/babysitter/discussions) | Questions and ideas |\n\n### Common First-Time Issues\n\n| Problem | Solution |\n|---------|----------|\n| \"command not found: babysitter\" | Run `npm install -g @a5c-ai/babysitter` |\n| Plugin not appearing | Restart Claude Code after installation |\n\n---\n\n## Ready to Begin?\n\nYour journey starts with installation. Let's get Babysitter running on your machine.\n\n**Next Step:** [Installation Guide](./installation.md)\n\n---\n\n## Quick Reference Card\n\nKeep these commands handy:\n\n```bash\n# Start a new run\nclaude \"/babysitter:call <your request>\"\n\n# Resume an existing run\nclaude \"/babysitter:call resume the babysitter run\"\n# Check available skills\n/skills\n\n# View run history\nls .a5c/runs/\n```\n\n---\n\n<div align=\"center\">\n\n**Ready to transform your AI-assisted development?**\n\n[Start Installation](./installation.md)\n\n</div>\n",
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